


The Green Paladin's Refuge

by Pupmon1



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Pidge needs a day off, References to Torture, Shiro doesn't need this stress, space lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-02 10:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8664220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pupmon1/pseuds/Pupmon1
Summary: A universe that's long gone to hell would be hard on anyone, even its defenders need a place to rest and heal.





	

Pidge laid on her back, her gaze locked on the flickering light in the ceiling of her cell, tapping her finger each time the light flickered off and back on again. Her mind was racing, focusing on several things at once. She first counted the days...how long she’s been here. Assuming these purple fluffy bastards feed prisoners at least once a day, she’s been here about ten days. Pidge glanced at the bowl sitting by the door and gagged...she’d rather have Coran’s cooking

Pidge focused her gaze back upward and recalled how she got here. She was in Green’s cockpit, listening to radio chatter from the Galra empire. She heard mention of two prisoners of unknown species being transferred from one slave camp to another. When she told her team, they were hesitant...but there was no time for that. If it was her family, her dad and her brother, she wasn’t just going to wait for Shiro to grow the balls to rescue them. So that night she snuck off the ship and stealthily landed aboard the prisoner ship. Only after Pidge had hacked the ship and felt a familiar jolt of a ship leaving a system did she realize something was very wrong. Her suspicions were confirmed when she found Green, and herself surrounded by soldiers. The green paladin was overpowered, her equipment stripped, and she was thrown in a cell to be...held between interrogations.

Pidge sighed and shook her head clear. She couldn’t dwell on that...she had to focus on surviving...and escaping. But...she’s tried everything she could think of...without her equipment she’s too weak to do anything against the robotic guards and their iron grips. And the last time she managed to get away, she was quickly caught trying to get to Green. Pidge shivered and shifted positions, rolling onto her side away from the door.

As she moved images flicker in her mind...images of her friends. Pidge chuckled and closed her eyes. “They don’t know where we are…” she whispered, hoping the presence on the edge of her mind would understand.

Green responded with two intertwined feels. Trust...and hope.

Pidge sighed and curled up. “I trust them...and I hope they’ll come for us...but we don’t know how long that’s going to be...we should plan to hold out as long as we need to.”

Pidge felt a pulse of a positive feeling, something Allura identified as agreement, and she smiled. Then she tried to relax...she needed to save her energy. She calmed her thoughts, and her mind was flooded with images...a temperate forest, birds singing in the trees, Green’s way of helping her relax. Though just as her body was relaxing and her mind was drifting off to sleep, someone grabbed her, pulling her to her feet and dragging her out of the cell down an increasingly familiar hall.

* * *

 

The Castle of Lions rested motionless, hidden from the sight of the slave ship by a large moon. With the castle’s power lowered to silent running, they wouldn’t look like anything more than debris, or Allura hoped that’s all the Galra saw. She watched the sensors, staring at the large prison ship they had been tailing for a few days now. They finally had gotten close enough to mark the Green Lion’s power signature and Pidge’s beacon through the interference.

“She’s there?” Hunk asked hesitantly since no one in the room was talking.

“Yes,” Coran responded quietly.

“So what are we gonna do?” Lance asked, looking between Shiro and Allura, they’re usually the tactics people.

“Isn’t it obvious? We go in there, and we get her back,” Keith said before they could speak.

Shiro shook his head. “No Keith, we have to wait, take this logically.”

“I have an idea,” Allura suddenly spoke up. She walked forward and looked over the sensor map. “Shiro, you, Keith, and Lance will take your lions and attack up front. Hunk and I will take the yellow lion and sneak aboar-”

“Um, Allura...Yellow isn’t the stealthiest lion in the world,” Hunk interjected.

“I know that,” Allura said quickly. “That is why Shiro is going to make a further distraction by attacking as we charge. His blade should mask our strike if we do this right.”

The princess walked over to the console and brought up a schematic of the ship. She pointed at the left wing, where a weak energy signal was coming from, Pidge’s beacon. “If you feign an attack right here, it will cover up the hull breach. Our focus is getting Pidge, but after she’s safe in the Green Lion, Hunk can come back and free as many prisoners as he can manage.”

Shiro thought about the plan, then nodded. “Alright, looks like that’s our plan. We’ll head out first, you two come out after.”

Allura nodded and watched as the four were sent down to their lions. Allura looked back at the map of the ship and took a breath to calm herself. Then she grabbed her helmet and headed to the elevator, going down to the yellow lion’s hanger. She steeled herself, determined not to let the others see how worried she was...but she knew what those prison ships did to enemies of the Galra empire...and that includes any of the Paladins.

Allura shook her head clear of those thoughts, reminding herself that it had only been ten days, humans aren’t that weak...Shiro survived for a little under a year. ‘Not without damage,’ the pessimistic side of her mind reminded her. Allura groaned and took a deep breath. She couldn’t think like that right now. The princess stepped out of the elevator and allowed Hunk to help her up into the bulkiest of the lions. She smiled and stood behind Hunks chair.

“When we get out there, run on low power, just drift towards the ship. Only power up when you think we are close enough to charge. Shiro?”

There was a pause before Shiro’s voice sounded in the headset. “We’re ready, come on in.”

Allura patted Hunk’s shoulder, and he carefully took off, aiming his lion at the ship and letting it drift through space...the two inside staying strangely silent.

* * *

 

Pidge gasped for air as her...interrogator stepped away. Her throat hurt, raw from screaming, and her body felt weak. There was a distant echo of pain in her muscles, but she mostly felt numb.

The Galra in front of her pointed his baton at her, a hair’s breath from her skin, she could feel the residual discharge from the metal stick. “Just tell us where the rest of Voltron is, and all this will stop.”

Pidge closed her eyes, not wanting to see his face. She knew the truth...this won’t stop if she tells him what he wants. But...there’s nothing left to say to him.

“Well? Are you going to cooperate?” he said.

Pidge grimaced and spoke in a weak voice. “I don’t know…” And that was the honest answer...but apparently honesty isn’t what he wanted. She opened her eyes to find he had raised his baton once again, though he stopped when the ship shook and an alarm blared overhead. The Galra stepped away and grabbed a tablet, smiling at whatever was displayed.

“Well, it looks like we won’t be needing that information any longer, Paladin,” he said with a cruel grin. “The others lions are here...to save their weak link.”

The interrogator set aside the tablet and stepped towards Pidge. He grabbed her face harshly and spoke with a cruel grin. “I can’t wait to have all of you here…to prepare you for your true leader. I think I’ll start with you...break the weakest first, just to get it over with.”

Pidge glared at the alien before her. “Go to hell you oversized purple wombat,” she growled. She knew it was going to end in pain, but she didn’t regret it. Even as he raised his arm to bring the baton back down, she didn’t take it back. The baton came down, and her vision blurred...and through it all, she thought she felt the ship jolt.

* * *

 

Hunk and Allura quickly left the Yellow Lion after the paladin had activated the seal to prevent abnormal ship depressurization, a little upgrade Pidge had installed. Over the comm, Shiro spoke quickly, “Work quickly you two, these fighters will notice the Yellow Lion soon.”

“Yeah, and once that happens, I dunno how long we can cover your butt,” Lance cut in.

“We will work as fast as we ca-” Allura’s soft voice was cut off by a distant scream. She and Hunk shared a worried glance before they took off deeper into the ship. The duo darted around corners, Allura using a small dagger to dispose of any patrols that don’t move the way they think they should.

They heard another shout...closer this time. Allura stopped and looked around, her ears twitching. “This way,” she said suddenly, darting down a different hall.

Hunk quickly caught up with the princess, grabbing her and pulling her back behind a corner as two guards came down the corridor. “Allura, the signal says she’s back that direction.” The yellow paladin held up a device as he spoke.

The Altean hesitated for a moment. “The shout came from this direction...”

Hunk looked around nervously, and looked down at his map...another patrol was coming soon down this hall. “Alright, we don’t have time to waste. You follow your ears, I’ll follow the beacon,” he purposed, having a suspicion that Allura is going to go that way whether he said anything or not. He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Be safe,”

Allura nodded and paused, watching Hunk run back to their original route. Then she turned her comms off and darted around a corner, listening very carefully to the ship...the sounds of steps on metal. She remembered what Shiro taught her...there’s a pattern how they move. She tapped out the pattern on her leg, ducking from corner to corner...until she found herself by a metal door. She could hear someone behind it.

Allura leaned against the wall listening to whoever’s inside. “Maybe I should just break you now,” a deep voice growled. “So you can properly introduce your ‘friends’ to their new lives when they come aboard.”

At first, there was no response...just a weak groan, then Allura heard a familiar voice. “...bite my ass…”

Then a yelp of pain.

Allura stepped back away from the door...then charged, her shoulder slamming into the door. The metal crumpled in front of her, and the door gave way. She stopped herself, letting the door fall in front of her, and the sight before her made her feel angry and sick. Pidge was bound to the wall, her hands held behind her, her body bruised and twitching. And one look at the other being in the room revealed why. A large bat-like Galra with a shock baton in his hand.

The large alien smiled when he saw the Altean princess. “Well look at this, human...the princess here to save the damsel in distress.” Pidge groaned in response, and he laughed.

“You do not speak to a Paladin that way,” Allura said sternly, then she charged at the man. He swung his baton at the princess, who ducked to one side and slammed into the larger man. She knocked him back into the wall and pinned his arm with her own. He growled and tried to grab at her with his free arm, only for her to pull out her dagger and slam it into his palm, pinning his hand to the wall.

“You bitch,” he hissed as he headbutted her.

Allura stumbled away, but it only took a moment for her to correct herself. She put her hand up, catching the Galra’s arm as he tried to swing at her again. She pushed his shoulder and pinned him to the wall once again. The strong princess twisted his arm, the baton eventually falling from his grip, but she didn’t relent. Someone needed to pay for Pidge’s state...and he’ll do nicely. She turned his arm until she heard the sound of bone breaking. Then she grabbed his head and slammed it into the wall. A metallic sound rang through the room as Allura yanked her dagger from where it was embedded, watching the Galra crumple to the ground, not dead, but out cold.

Allura stepped back, taking a breath to calm herself before grabbing the interrogator’s pad. With a tap of a button, the locks holding Pidge released, letting the smallest Paladin fall to the ground. Allura caught her before she could hit the floor.

Pidge’s eyes fluttered open as Allura lifted her in her arms. “Allura?” she mumbled weakly.

Allura smiled down at her. “It's okay Pidge...I’m getting you out of here.”

Pidge groaned and tried to pull herself from Allura’s arms, but she was too tired...too weak. Allura held her closer and smiled gently. “Pidge relax...you’ve been through a lot, rest now. I’ll take you to the Green Lion.”

“My...my equipment…” Pidge said, her tone noting complaint, but her body was relaxing.

Allura smiled and nodded, shifting positions to have Pidge’s head rest on her shoulder. “Hunk is getting it,” Allura said with a smile.

Pidge looked up at her savior and reached out, touching a button on the side of her helm. Suddenly Shiro’s voice blared through the helmet. “Allura?!? Are you there?”

“Yes I’m here, I have Pidge,” she answered as she slipped from the room. “I’m taking her to her lion. Hunk, do you have her armor and Bayard?”

“Yep!” Allura heard the yellow paladin shout over gunfire. “But they know we’re here now!”

The princess ducked behind a corner, avoiding a group of armed guards. “Yes, I see that.”

“Princess stay where you are,” Shiro instructed. “Hunk, get to her. Lance, Keith, we’ll continue covering Hun-”

“No…” Pidge managed to interrupt weakly. The young paladin grabbed Allura’s helmet and spoke to her leader. “I have...a plan.” She smiled as she showed the tablet...she had somehow swiped it from the room before.

Allura glanced between Pidge and the guards, nodding as if she understood. “Hunk, focus on saving what prisoners you can, then get out. We’ll be fine.”

Pidge nodded and started typing on the tablet, her movements slow and tired, but practiced as Allura moves out of the way of patrols. At a silent nod from the small girl, Allura set her down on the ground and waited...jumping at a lone guard and drone when they passed. With a few taps on the tablet, Pidge had the guard reprogrammed to take them to the dock where Green was waiting for them, and the drone was inactive.

Allura lifted Pidge once again, the tiny paladin insistent on grabbing the inactive drone. The guard led them through the hallways, the droid obediently dealing with every one of its equals they came across until they got to the hanger where the green lion was waiting surprisingly unguarded.

Allura took off the droid's head, then she approached the giant machine.

“Princess, it's getting about as hot as me out here!” the princess heard Lance shout over the comm.

“We’re at the green lion,” Allura said with a roll of her eyes. “Hunk pull back to the yellow lion and help them.”

“Already ahead of you.”

“Princess, can Pidge fly?” Shiro asked.

“We will return to the castle quickly,” Allura answered, then she cut off her comms.

Pidge groaned and looked up at the dark woman holding her. “...Allura...I don’t think I can pilot Green…like this…” she mumbled weakly.

Allura smiled kindly as she looked up at the green lion. “Don’t worry...I can.” Then the Altean looked up at the mechanical marvel. “Green Lion, your Paladin is incapacitated, allow me to return you to safety.”

Nothing. No response. This was confusing...her father had said that as long as the Paladin was present, the lion should allow anyone to pilot them if it was taking them from danger. She should be waking up. Allura shifted positions nervously and glanced down at Pidge.

Pidge, instead of chuckling or grinning, looked confused. Her gaze flicked over to the barrier separating her lion from the world. “It’s okay...don’t be nervous…it’s Princess Allura…” she said weakly as she reached out, putting a hand on the barrier.

The green glow flickered and disappeared, and the lion moved, kneeling down to allow Allura and Pidge to enter. “Thank you,” the princess crooned as she climbed inside. An elevator pushed the two girls up to the bridge, and Allura set down Pidge down on the floor behind the chair, then she sat down. The seat jolted forward, and Allura grabbed the controls without thinking.

A dull green glow came over the cockpit, and the lion moved very jerkily but did move to take off and exit the ship. With a jolt Allura pushed the green lion forward to the Castle of Lions, trusting the others to cover her. “I need to speak with Coran,” she spoke out loud.

A blinking light grew her attention, and she quickly pressed it, a channel opening to the Castle. “Princess Allura? What are you d-”

“No time for that,” Allura interrupted her advisor. “Prepare a healing pod and meet me in the Green Lion’s hanger.”

“Y-yes Princess!”

The channel was cut off, and Allura glanced back at the smallest Paladin...battered and bruised...but soon she’d be better, hopefully.


End file.
